What kind of music do you listen to, and at what loudness levels? It looks as though you had at one point decided on a Torii Jr. for an amplifier and now have changed to the SE34I (Rachael) amplifier, which leads me to think you aren't interested in reproducing a live rock concert experience in your room.

If that be the case, then I don't think there's an issue, here. The Rachael has a sensitivity of 2.5 volts for full power, which does not mean that it is some minimum requirement. More than 2.5 V would overload the amp, so reading it as "2.5 V or more" is not correct.  Theoretically, 2 V input would have the amp output @ 80% full power, so ~ 4.8 W vs. 6 W. With those Omega speakers, 'on paper', at least, it could still blast ~ 101.3 dB @ 1 meter away.

An input of 2 volts is not at all "low," it's just a bit lower than the sensitivity of the Rachael amplifier. The same 2 volts going into an amplifier with 1 V or 1.5 V sensitivity would require attenuation via amplifier volume (gain) control to prevent overload.

You don't list what phono preamp you have, but if you play vinyl records often enough you might indeed need a line stage preamplifier to go along with it. A loud signal from the phono cartidge through the phono preamp can occasionally (briefly) peak as much as 2-2.5 V, but for various reasons the average sound level from vinyl playback is generally a bit lower than from digital playback.

Hello Edsonic and Yakatak,

Thanks so much for your replies and input! Yes, I started with a Tori Jr. because my plan was to use less sensitive speaker (87 db with an impedance of 4 ohms). I decided that I should give low power amps a chance and sold my speakers and got the Omegas, which are rated at 94.5 db sensitivity at 8 ohms. I was using the Luxman SQ-150 with the Omega CAM and they were not getting loud with Luxman. I don't want to make the same mistake and I made with the Luxman and want to be sure that I have enough power; I usually listen to music within the 70 to 85 dbs. I will use this amp in either a small room (9 x 14 feet) or a medium room (17 X 15 feet). Based on you feedback, the Rachael will have more than enough power for these rooms. I also have a pair of Omega subs. I listen to a variety of music ranging from small Jazz assembles to rock and Latin music. I have two spot on the waiting list and y plan is to also order the Decware preamp to maximize the sound of my sources and have some flexibility moving forward and be able to use other amplifiers.

I'm currently using the internal phono stage of my Rotel integrated amp but I'm planning to get an external phono pre-amp when I get the Rachael.

Yakatak, your suggesting of the ZStage is interesting and will try to learn more about. My question is: Will the Decware pre-amp do the same thing that the ZStage would do for me?

I cannot thank enough for sharing your experiences and expertise with me!

Ramón

When I got back into vinyl, my Rega phono MKV preamp worked great, but it would still come up short at times with some recordings.  My ZSTAGE was an absolute godsend with Vinyl.  I would not play vinyl with out it.

The ZSTAGE was my first piece of Decware gear I bought going back 15 years ago.  At its price point…it’s a great purist preamp.  I just recently sold mine to free up some funds and upgrade to a CSP2+ 25th.   Otherwise my ZSTAGE would still be here.

Dom

Hello everybody! I'm thrilled to read all of your responses; I'm learning quite a bit. So, I have a question: Should I get a ZStage instead of the ZPS-3 pre-amp? Should I get both? I don't want to spend too much money on both if I don't have to because I could use my limited funds for other upgrades.

BTW, it is a treat to get it is a treat to get feedback from all of you because my friends and family are not into this hobby. I have been learning on my own and, at times, making costly mistakes.

Thanks for your generous welcome!

Ramón

Hello Dominick,

Thanks for clarifying what the difference is between a ZStage and a pre-amp. I have to do some thinking and see how I want to spend my upgrade money while I wait for the Rachael.

Thanks again!

Ramón